P90x x Regular workout

I realize there are like 9,000 topics about P90x out there. I read a good 80% of them and I couldn't find an answer to my current situation.

I'm trying to recomp after an injury and have been doing a good job, but school and work have taken over a bit. So here's where I stand right now: I basically can go to the gym 3 times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. But I can also get a regular cardio exercise 5 times a week, let it be running outside (which I can finally do since Michigan seems to be allowing me to not frostbite my ass as soon as I step outside...) or doing cardio with my punching bag that I have in the basement. So that's where I stand. I figured 3 days at the gym, 3 days of cardio at home would be the final split.

I have heard and read great things about P90x, people losing a lot of weight, getting ripped, getting toned, all of that. But I can't do the program to the fullest as I am still recouping from injuries and some of the stuff they have will just probably kill me. And the other thing too is that I only have, like I said, 5 days that I could do it at home. Wednesdays and Sundays just do not work for me at all.

So I was looking for some input. Also one thing that I think helps is that I have a Total Gym and I could combine that with most of the exercises displayed on P90x to get a little extra resistance so I can lower repetitions and try to build some muscle in there. But I wouldn't be able to follow the full plan.

I plan on doing the Ab workout regardless since it was pretty good IMO, but was looking for opinions on which route to take, or maybe some route that would combine best of both worlds? Thoughts?

If you have access to a gym, then P90X is probably not what you want to do. The best feature is that you can do it at home with very little equipment. Otherwise it's a lot more run of the mill than you would think. Also, people who don't know much about it don't realize how hard it is. If going in you can't do like 20-30 pull-ups, then you're going to lose the intensity of the workouts.

There are ways to make p90x work well for you, the biggest thing is to incorporate the right rep scheme and use the dvd as more of a workout routine, rather than following the tempo of the dvd. i.e. pay attention to the exercises used in the workout. I would aim for heavier weights, less reps, and you'll be golden.

Ive done p90x before and its not for traditonal bodybuilding if thats your goal however if your goal is sports functionality and just getting in better shape and stronger its a solid program it is rather fast paced and quite challenging IF you push yourself its a pretty solid program for leaning out and gaining some strength and its a change of pace from the same routine at the gym.

03-18-2010, 01:18 AM

BMCLouzee

Guest

Wow, you seem to have a lot of resources available so...GOOD LUCK and good for you! P90X does get challenging and in my opinion, TIME CONSUMING. Seriously, 1 1/2 hours in average per work out, right? I personally don't do the entire workout, maybe 30-45 minutes to supplement my gym time if I feel I didn't hit it hard enough, BUT I do in fact do the stretch, yoga, and ab ripper videos because I feel more comfortable doing it at home. Here's my current routine, hope it will give you an idea:

I do 30 minutes of high intensity cardio after weight training in the morning and 30 minutes of high intensity cardio in the evenings (I go to the gym twice, but I'm sure you can manage with your punching bag and running). I do a lot of yoga simply because I hate it, but I know it's good for getting limber and expanding my ability to perform other weight lifting exercises. Also, there's some bull **** going around that it will calm my nerves and find CHI or something. I do a minimum of 30 minutes per P90X video because, as aforementioned, they are time consuming and hard for me. I do plan on lengthening these times as my endurance grows, but that's a long ways from now.

I think somewhere in this post I should mention that I'm a chick. So here it is. I'm a chick.

P90X is a great workout. I thought it was garbage until i tried it. At my weight, the back work was killer. I never thought I would do yoga. Well I did and never sweat so much. The ab workout killed me. For me, it's a good break from bodybuilding. My back and my joints need a break from time to time and P90X works for me.